A Future Uncertain

Chapter 2: Not an Actress

"...Malfoy?"

He eyes widened slightly for a moment, and his hand paused in the air on the way to get the folder that was being held under his arm. Draco shook his head. Skipping out on work early just to role-play?

Draco was worried when Hermione's secretary had called him about leaving work early because she was sick. Now he was immensely pleased, not only that she wasn't sick, but that she had come home just to surprise him with another one of her escapades.

With his back towards her, Draco tossed the folder onto the table and smirked. Attempting to hide his excitement behind a cool demeanor he turned around.

"What do you want, Granger?"

Granger? Why is Malfoy in my house? Where is Ferris?

Hermione realized that he had used the front door instead of appariting directly inside. Did Malfoy just break into my house? She regretted assuming that it would be her partner that would walk through the door. She should have spent a little less time trying to get comfortable and a little more time preparing for a threat. Her hand pocketed her wand, preparing for a fight.

Malfoy looked in his mid-twenties. He loosened his emerald green tie, his blonde hair now grazing the collar of his white button down shirt. He stared at her haughtily while folding his right sleeve up his arm. He still thinks he's superior to me! she thought, with a hex ready to pass through her lips.

After the war most pure-blood supremacist families had renounced their blood-purity views... except the Malfoys. They hadn't even hinted remorse when their trial went to the Wizengamot. Many wizards and witches thought the families that pleaded innocent were just trying to evade Azkaban, and Hermione felt inclined to agree, but the Malfoys could have at least denounced their ways! Of course Malfoy wouldn't change. Hermione felt the need to hit something.

"I'll only repeat myself once, Granger. What do you want?" he asked, still staring at her. He was rolling his left sleeve up when something caught Hermione's eye. It felt as if cold water had just been poured over her head.

"You're a bloody death eater!?" she screamed. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly in shock. It was something that hadn't been confirmed yet, and now that she knew, she was seeing red. She knew his dislike for muggle-borns, but she didn't think he had had the guts to commit to a group so terrible as the Death Eaters so young.

She drew her wand out of her pocket and marched across the room pointing it directly at his chest. "Get. Out. Now." She looked at him through squinted eyes, disgusted.

It was at that moment Draco realized that this wasn't going to be an experiment with nice shag at the end. She'd never been that good of an actress, and this was definitely not sexy.

"I wont ask you twice, Malfoy."

Draco didn't understand what was going on or why she was behaving like this. His grey eyes were wavering between her brown ones, looking alarmed and concerned.

"Hermione, sit down," he pleaded. He raised his pale hands as if surrendering.

She stood her ground and glared at him, waiting for him to draw his wand before actually hexing him. Draco was not comfortable being at the end her wand when she looked so dangerous. Since asking nicely hadn't worked, he mustered all the confidence he had and ordered, "Hermione, sit down. Now."

She didn't move, and scoffed at his tone. Draco was running out of options, and tried one last time to get her to calm down. "Love?" he said warmly.